Content area
Abstract
Mathematics anxiety has been well-documented at all age levels in western societies, from pre-school to graduate students and beyond. Math anxiety, defined as “feelings of tension and anxiety that interfere with the manipulation of mathematical problems in a wide variety of ordinary life and academic situations” (Richardson & Suinn, 1972, p. 551), may be manifested in both cognitive and affective processes (Ashcraft, 2002), and it has been linked negatively to various indices of success and to detrimental effects on future career development (Betz, 1978). This study draws on western scholars’ research but provides valuable data on the prevalence and causes of mathematics anxiety in a non-western setting – specifically, among 341 high school students (164 females/48.1% and 177 males/51.9%) in grade levels 10, 11, and 12 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Using the Mathematics Self-Efficacy Scale (MSES), modified from Betz & Hackett's (1983) math anxiety adopted from Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitudes Scales (Pennema & Sherman, 1976) & the Attrition Scale procedure implemented by Bar-Tal, Raviv, Raviv, and Bar-Tal (1982), this study focuses on the links among three interrelated constructs: math anxiety, perceived self-efficacy, and causal attribution. Results show that the majority of both male and female students are doubtful about their performance in math, but overall, female students show a higher degree of math anxiety than males. The data also showed a high positive correlation between external attributional and anxiety scores, based on a set of independent variables including confidence, value, enjoyment, motivation, teacher valuation, self-efficacy, internal beliefs, and external beliefs. The most significant independent variables were self-efficacy and enjoyment, while value and motivation were only marginally related to math anxiety. On average, the higher students’ self-efficacy, the lower their math anxiety.
